Valve boss Gabe Newell has baulked at the idea of changing Half-Life's Gordon Freeman to bring him in line with the protagonists of more modern FPS titles.
With Half-Life: Episode 3 - or even Half-Life 3 - potentially on the horizon, fans are keen to know how Valve will evolve the series.
However, Newell has gone on record to say he wants Freeman to largely remain an arm and a crowbar - and he's not in any rush to get him talking, either.
When Edge asked Newell if he wanted to give Freeman a greater sense of 'embodiment', he said:
"We haven't had a reason to change that. Most of what I've seen to date has been gimmicky and is entertaining for just a minute or so."
When asked if he'd consider giving Freeman a voice (he's been mute in every Half-Life so far) - he added:
"We're not philosophically opposed to this, but we don't have any good reasons to do it. Right now making your companions more interesting and compelling seems a more fruitful avenue to explore."
Would any of you lot change Gordon Freeman? Has he become outdated?
the fact gordon is mute attracts me to him. all they need to do is add more ambient speech more NPC who randomly talk to you. I also love the silence of the game kinda have a feeling though if it wants to stay in the FPS reatness books were going to have to have great boss battles and less doing nothing
Mute characters have always annoyed me but I never really minded Freeman being silent. Still, I would like to hear him say some things. Even just acknowledging comments by Alex would be nice.
Hate his character (well he doesn't even have one actually) and it's too bad he will remain the same as I think mute characters are one of the most god awful implementations along side regenerating health.
I just love Valve, they always seem to do things that make me love them more. They are true gamers, and they stick to what they know works well. Half Life 2 and the Episodes for me is the best FPS ever made. Graphically out of date, but storywise the best ever game I have played. It makes a mockery of games like Bioshock 2 or anything recent like that. I am glad they will stick with "MR FREEMAN" the way he is meant to be for a long time to come.
I still have yet to get round to playing Episode 2, but I also eagerly await episode 3, it will no doubt be a master piece. I still marvel at how good Half Life 2 actually is from beginning to end. When I played it for the first time I was just blown away. Quite simply the best, ever.
the fact gordon is mute attracts me to him. all they need to do is add more ambient speech more NPC who randomly talk to you. I also love the silence of the game kinda have a feeling though if it wants to stay in the FPS reatness books were going to have to have great boss battles and less doing nothing
As the other gents have said: Gordon is fine as he is. 1 thing I would change: (again mentioned before)... Where are the environmental puzzles to kill a big boss monster? The first time you encountered the tentacle beast was epic! The flame-armed weird thing made your spine twitch when it was chasing you. Those were great moments. We could do with some more stuff like that. If portals get involved, then we could be in for some interesting times. I have complete and utter faith in valve. They are the only true jedis of game dev! TTLG were the best. But they are now dead. May they rest in piece. (2k ain't as good. Sorry)
Half Life 1 was a truly awesome game, and redefined the genre when it was released. One of the most immersive FPS-games ever. The same can be said for Half Life 2.
Gordon Freeman is you and me. He could be. Because he doesn't sound like someone else. When I play HL, I become attached to the NPCs I meet. Because it feels like they're helping ME, not "some character that I'm controlling". Valve have nailed it *exactly* right with Gordon Freeman - and to change that only so that our hero could say cheesy one-liners, would be a crime against humanity!
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wait so this games actually coming out? i was starting to think they were going to do L4D DLC till the cows come home! come on valve for f**ks sake yous announced half life 2 epp 3 what feels like a century ago, i think its time to give us some solid info on it and maybe a release date. unless we have another DNF on our hands.
To be fair, I never really saw Gordon Freeman as a world class hero. For a start he's called Gordon, wears "questionable" glasses and sports a goatee.
It is because of this which makes Gordan so great. Because he hasn't got a big "stand out" ego and no voice, us gamers can shape him to what we want him to be - which usually is ourselves. That is why we get, well i get, so immersed in the game. Because I kind of see him as me
To be fair, I never really saw Gordon Freeman as a world class hero. For a start he's called Gordon, wears "questionable" glasses and sports a goatee.
It is because of this which makes Gordan so great. Because he hasn't got a big "stand out" ego and no voice, us gamers can shape him to what we want him to be - which usually is ourselves. That is why we get, well i get, so immersed in the game. Because I kind of see him as me
I think this is a completely flawed argument as my reply could be smthg like I want to throat fu(k you alex and she's like smiling and her dad is all cool with that too. I think it's pretty sad that there's more character development in L4D than HL and it seems it's going to stay like that.
i like the fact you get story plot advancements at changing points in the game, and the way every area tells its own story. not many games today have got that intelligent story telling behind them.
bioshock does do it well, but half life has been in devolpment for like 300 years, so it has a head start.
@Sleepaphobic: "I think this is a completely flawed argument as my reply could be smthg like I want to throat fu(k you alex and she's like smiling and her dad is all cool with that too."
er, i sort of understand your logic, but if anyone felt compelled to say that to a game character then they should probably get out more and/or get a girlfriend... or maybe just grow-up.
When I first played Half Life 2, I was disappointed that Freeman still didn't have a voice. I kept wanting to tell the other characters about that G-man fellow, and maybe actually get some answers.
But last year I wrote a show Gordon Freeman as a video game character, and after some thought, making him nothing more than a floating camera actually helps Half Life be more popular. Gordon is a non-character. He doesn't exist. What we identify with Gordon Freeman is actually ourselves.
Giving Gordon a voice at this point, or free will would ruin this experience. And will have negative consequences, some even unforeseen.
@Sleepaphobic: "I think this is a completely flawed argument as my reply could be smthg like I want to throat fu(k you alex and she's like smiling and her dad is all cool with that too."
er, i sort of understand your logic, but if anyone felt compelled to say that to a game character then they should probably get out more and/or get a girlfriend... or maybe just grow-up.
Grow up? Yes I prob should but now you're saying that it only works in certain conditions? So if that's the case then no it doesnt work properly because if it did then almost every character would hate me as I would just swear at them the whole time but on the contrary I am forced to "make up" my own responses that are directly related to how the devs want you to answer so there is no variation in answers what so ever and just a single right answer. This is totally the opposite of what every1 is praising it for.
Sure I would like them to change it but ya it could totally screw up everything when taking into account the previous games and this should be the reason that valve refuse to change anything. A game that implements it nowadays though is just bad game design and 1 of the very few problems with games like dead space.
Gordon Freeman isn't a character, he's the player. Whatever personality a player has imbued Freeman with would not match whatever personality he would be given in '3' and would ruin the experience. Freeman isn't mute, you just can't hear him.
Don't change a thing! Freeman is classic. Being in the first person, instead of the third, means that YOU are Freeman. And not having a voice means YOU are talking for him. Don't change Freeman, he's superb the way he is!!!
Don't change a thing! Don't change a thing! Freeman is actually a very good character, and I'd rather have him shut up, than have him say "I'll rip of your head and s**t down your crab"
He's not Duke Nukem, and he shouldn't be. Don't change him!
They certainly couldn't suddenly tack a voice onto Freeman for Ep3 without it upsetting those of us who have loved him from the start.
Maybe for HL3 they could start to introduce another layer of him, maybe adding some short responses when people talk to him, but I don't think it's all that necessary.
I think the example of dead space that sleepaphobic mentioned it a valid critisism of DS but I would say that the problem isn't with what Issac doesn't say but what the NPCs do say. Yes in HL they talk at you but you are on a mission which is tied into your own responsibility of past events and they are better scripted to make you feel they are with you rather than them telling you what to do. DS is at the other end of that, Bioshock also(though with a better reason), poor story progression by laying each task at your feet by someone else while they just moan about all the things that need to be done like a lazy manager.
Silence can be done right but it needs a smart story which is much harder than a speaking lead.
I think that if the Freeman says anything, it should be just one word, in some pivitol cutscene, where what caused a reaction was so mind blowingly awesome that no-one even notices until they came out of thier 3 hour stunned silence and proceed to go into a coma after realising that Gordon spoke.
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